Jorge Arce (57-6-2, 44 KOs) impressed in his fight against Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr Saturday night. It was more entertaining than the sparring session between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley. Just two years ago, it was suggested Arce hang his gloves up after losing to Vic Darchinyan and Simphiwe Nongqayi in a span of three fights. Luckily for fight fans, Arce rejuvenated his career and won four of his last five fights before entertaining us yet again against Vasquez.
So, what's next for "El Travieso?" A rematch with Vic Darchinyan or Vasquez is a possibility. But Darchinyan might be more interested in fighting the winner of the Joseph King Kong Agbeko - Abner Mares fight. And Vasquez will need a fight in between to get some of his confidence back. There's no one else out there to fight Arce. No one else except the WBC and WBO bantamweight champ, Nonito Donaire.
Donaire (26-1, 18 KOs) was caught in a legal mess eerily similar to Pacquiao's case. He signed with Golden Boy Promotions even though he was still under contract with Top Rank. May 28 was supposed to be the date we saw him in the ring again but because of the mess, it was scrapped. On March 29, the arbitrator sided with Top Rank, effectively retaining the right to promote Donaire.
Before you say that matching Donaire against Arce is a mismatch, let's look at some facts. Up until now everyone matched up against Donaire has been a mismatch. It doesn't matter if Arce is tabbed as his next opponent. At least we know that the fight will be action packed. It’s the perfect time to match Arce and Donaire against each other. I’m pretty sure Bob Arum has already thought of this because he doesn’t want to make the same mistake he did with the Yuriokis Gamboa – Juan Manuel Lopez (non-)fight.
Arce is a pressure fighter, continuously moving forward and throwing punches. He is an underrated counter puncher. He'll give Donaire a whole new look. Recent opponents have been trying to box Donaire. Fernando Montiel, a great technical fighter, tried to box him and failed miserably. The constant pressure and brawling style of Arce may give Donaire a tough time early on. Rafael Concepcion was the last brawler to fight Donaire and he made Donaire work for the win. With his heart and grit, Arce will not make it easy for Donaire.
There's also the case of Donaire adding weight to fight Arce at 122. We don't know if he'll carry the weight well. He might come in sluggish and possibly lose some of his knockout power. Without speed and power, Arce’s mauling style may overwhelm the Filipino Flash.
Fight fans would love to see this fight. If Donaire beats Arce at 122, the win will be compared to Pacquiao’s win over David Diaz where he came up in weight to fight for a title. Donaire would also win a title at a heavier weight class if he beats Arce.
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